Cycle hire beyond existing Transport for London scheme area

Caroline Russell: At the Transport for London (TfL) board meeting on 2 June 2020, pop-up docks and the possibility of extending the TfL cycle hire scheme footprint were discussed. How far can the existing cycle hire scheme be expanded, and what other measures are being taken to provide access to a cycle for those who don’t own or may be unable to store one?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) recently announced that it will be building 14 additional docking stations this year, including five stations in Southwark and two at Clapham Common, as well as adding 1,700 cycles to the current fleet. TfL is actively seeking further expansion of Santander Cycles and regularly engages with boroughs and private landowners to try and bring the benefits of the cycle hire scheme to as many people as possible.
Expansion of the scheme is dependent on funding agreements being in place with boroughs and central Government. Operationally the scheme works best when new docking stations are built close to areas with existing docking stations to avoid isolated areas.
TfL has been running free access promotional codes for NHS and key workers as well as extra cleaning and redistribution around hospital locations. These codes are valid till 31 July 2020.